Maximum Ride and the Olympians
by absentminded.philosopher
Summary: What happens when Maximum Ride and the flock get into the world of Percy Jackson? WARNING: This is not compliant of MR 3, since I haven't read it yet. A fairly new author hopeful's pathetic attempt at a crossover. R&R please! Rated T just in case.
1. Chapter 1

**A new story begins...  
I haven't written in a while, so go easy on me if its a bit rough. I can't write like James Patterson, or Rick Riordan, or anything in between. I'm just a lowly hopeful. I've never seen a Maximum Ride/Percy Jackson and the Olympians crossover, so I thought, what the heck? Maybe I should try it. The only thing I don't know is what this should be classified under, MR or PJO. I'll just put it here. This takes place directly after the epilogue of the second book, as I haven't read book 3(MR). I don't know what everyone else thinks of crossovers, but, here goes! Enjoy!**

The fits of laughter subsided to chuckles and giggles, and before I knew it, both me and Fang were both asleep, propped up on each other.

I was on a cruise ship. But this wasn't a normal cruise ship. I could almost feel the aura from it. The ship was evil, I knew it. I opened the door from which the malevolence was exuding. I was greeted by a mirror-shiny gold coffin covered with depictions of sword-wielding warriors dying grisly deaths. The coffin glowed ominously.

_"Maximum Ride..."_ it hissed. Something was in the coffin. "_You are here for a reason. The first test is over, now the true test begins..."_ It laughed ominously. The laughter got louder and louder, it was piercing my eardrums-louder, louder-

It was just a dream. I should have known.

I opened my eyes to...something. Something with a more or less human upper torso wearing an orange T-shirt labeled "Camp Half-Blood". The abnormal thing about him, he had furry hindquarters and hooves. Not something you see every day. I guess the School had tried a human-donkey hybrid or something along those lines, for some reason. There was also a girl with rough brown hair, who demanded "What in Hades are you? Some sort of Fury offspring?"

I had no idea what the heck she was talking about. Of course, I didn't say that. "My name is Max Ride, and-" I froze. Where was the flock? "What have you done with the others?" I hissed so venomously that the donkey-or-whatever kid twitched nervously.

The girl answered, "They're outside, er, flying. Are you a mortal?"

Of course I was mortal! Who wasn't? I fleetingly wondered what kind of idiot she must've taken me for. "Yes..." I said with an air of sarcasm. "No freaking duh." That was more like me.

The girl looked pretty insulted. "Watch who you're talking to," she said coldly. "I'm Clarisse, daughter of Ares."

And who the heck was Ares? Obviously, someone who didn't brush their teeth. I didn't say that out loud. "Come on," she said.

I struggled to get up. Something was holding me back. It didn't feel like ordinary tiredness. "Wimp," she muttered under her breath.

Now that really ticked me off. Nobody called Maximum Ride a wimp. I sprang out of the bed, and got her right in the stomach. She doubled over, almost gasping. By my analysis, she was pretty strong. Not as physically strong as an Eraser, obviously, but stronger than a regular man. Like me, and the flock. I shot her a superior look and walked out the door. Donkey-boy was staring for a second with a what-the-heck-just-happened attitude, but then he rushed after me. "I'll take you to Chiron." he offered. "I'm Grover."

Nope. I had to get the others, and get out. I sprinted forward, and snapped out my wings. Taking off was always better with a running start. In seconds, I was gently riding air currents, using as little effort as possible. I was still fairly tired.

I spotted Fang's dark wings, cutting the air as he banked and rolled. He appeared to be entertaining a fair few kids, all wearing orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirts. I flew up to him and noticed that he was almost smiling. I didn't get that a lot. It must have really gotten to him, having to always be in hiding. I beckoned him to the ground, where he introduced me. "This is Maximum Ride, our fearless leader." He looked at me as if I should bow. I scowled, not too happy with the theatrics. But I could tell, Fang liked it here. A lot better than being constantly on the run, anyway.

"I assume our secret will be safe here?" I covertly asked Fang.

His expression reverted to his normal, poker-face, Mr. Emotionless face. "Yes," he started. "But these kids, they're not normal either."

I have to admit, I was curious. "What do you mean? They don't look like mutants."

"You'll see," he said shortly, and he took off again. The kids oohed and aaahed. He liked it, I could tell. To be appreciated for once. By someone outside of the flock, I mean. A girl that looked like a female version of Fang, all dressed in black, walked up to me with two friends, a boy and a girl.

"I'm Thalia," she introduced herself. "Daughter of Zeus."

Why was everybody addressing themselves as the daughter or son of someone? Their parents' names meant nothing to me. She pointed at one of her friends, "This is Annabeth," the one with blonde hair and stormy gray eyes, then the other, "This is Percy," pointing to the black haired boy. Then she leaned slightly closer. "Those two like each other," she said in no uncertain tones.

"NO WE-" they chorused. Thalia cut them off. Both were fuming. Once I found Angel, maybe I could confirm.

"Now, you've heard of the Greek gods, right?" Annabeth asked me, calming down.

"Umm...no."

"What?" She seemed surprised. "Didn't you learn about them at school?"

I laughed hollowly. "I hadn't even had a full year of school. A real school, that is."

I don't know why I was telling them all this, they just felt friendly. Hopefully they were, and they weren't a new breed of Erasers or armed.

"Real school? What do you mean?" Annabeth asked me.

"There were scientists there. At a place called the School. They did genetic experiments on innocent kids. That is why-" I snapped out the wings. "-I have wings."

Thalia and Percy looked bewildered, but Annabeth seemed to understand. "Your friends are in the Big House," she said, pointing to...a big house. No surprises there. "They're being showed the orientation film. All except him," she pointed up at Fang. "He wanted to wait for you."

I could've sworn I felt my cheeks heat, and expected my Voice to make a comment. It said nothing, which was odd. It usually commented whenever I didn't want it to. Like now, for example. As much as I didn't want to admit it, I needed the Voice. Not that I would tell that to anyone.

"Max." A voice said behind me. Ari. I could tell, even though I didn't look. Why did he always have to wreck my day?

**Like? Dislike? Think this whole story is a waste of time? Give me your opinions, readers! I love reading reviews. Believe me, this may not be as it seems. I'll tell you one thing: Max is not going to be happy! (I haven't explained much in this story, in terms of how they got there (PJO world), but I'm still working on that. It's irrevelant to the story, unless I want it to be relevant.) I'm not expecting as many reviews, since more people have read PJO than PJO and MR, but I want at least three before the next chapter. Three reviews. **


	2. Chapter 2

**In this chapter, forget that the members of the flock know anything about God. OK? If you were expecting a big bloody fight scene, then sorry, you've been disappointed. This made me crack up when I wrote it. I messed around with the readers. Hooray! A bit of Percabeth here, and its Angel's POV. **

Angel's POV:

Wow, you should've seen Max's face when she turned around. It was priceless. I could hear direct thoughts in her head.

What? Ari is here? Why does he always wreck my day?

Her expression soon turned to absolute shock, then anger. Especially since the Gasman was right behind her, mimicking Ari's voice. We all cracked up, except Max. Even Fang chuckled in the air. I momentarily felt sorry for Gazzy. Max was going to kill him.

She appeared to be struggling to control herself. "Was that necessary?" she asked acidly.

I had expected her to be yelling and screaming. Apparently she didn't want to look like a volatile idiot in front of her new 'friends', two girls and a boy, all in their mid-teens. They didn't appear to be hostile, and a quick mind scan revealed nothing of importance. Except...

"Annabeth," I said, addressing the blonde-haired girl. She looked unnerved that I knew her name, considering I had never spoken to her. "Percy thinks that you look cute. Were you aware of that?"

Max gave me a weary look, most unlike her, and the boy Percy blushed heavily. So did Annabeth. The other girl, called Thalia, gave me a funny look. Like she didn't know what to think about me.

"Angel can read minds," Max explained to them. "You've got no privacy around her. We all have some special talents."

All three looked like they wanted to die. Max had tried to get used to it, she really did. But no one could hide anything from me. They thought about it, it was mine. I almost felt sorry for them. Almost.

"Come on, I'll take you on a tour. Max and-" Annabeth started, then was interrupted by Fang.

"Fang."

"Max and Fang can see the orientation film. Everyone else, come with me." she finished. I was surprised when Fang revealed not his fake name, but the one he picked for himself. It was obvious, even without checking his mind, that he trusted them fully. Max seemed to as well. They both really liked this place.

She beckoned, still a little red from my...let's just say "instigation"...Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy and I followed her. I looked around briefly. This place was beautiful, and untainted by machines. I saw a lot of goat-men, which from the orientation film I learned were called satyrs.

The thought of the orientation film made me frown slightly. So there were gods ruling over our lives? Apparently, at least one of them really hates Max. The twelve Olympians sounded...strange. A council of ever-quarreling, superpowerful family members ruling over the world? It didn't seem a good idea to me. According to the film, all the kids who were here were children of gods and regular people. All except us. We were always outcasts, always different, wherever we went.

Annabeth's voice jolted me back from my thoughts. "This is where we hold sword and spear fights," she said, pointing to an amphitheater-ish place. So we could still hone ourselves here. Interesting.

I gently nudged her mind_. There's no reason we can't go see a fight_...

She frowned. Then she looked at me, like, _Don't even think about it._ Apparently, she had some sort of mental resistance. Maybe it came from being a 'demigod', I think that was the word. No one had ever resisted my mind control.

She led us some more, to a green field with six cabins on either side. The cabins had the same basic shape, but all of them were different. Modeled after the gods, I picked up from her mind. There were twelve cabins, each modeled individually after a god. She pointed out exactly what I was thinking. You would go into the cabin of your parent. But we had no immortal parents.

"Where do we go?" Nudge voiced my thoughts. She had even started to quiet down, in this place. This camp seemed to bring out the people in ourselves that we never seemed to show. Nudge was actually not talking until she was hoarse. Fang actually showed himself being happy, Iggy didn't seem much bothered about being blind, which was normal, though. We were being changed, and I wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not.

"Hermes takes all newcomers," Annabeth said. "But you're not demigods. I'll have to ask Chiron."

Comforting. No beds for us, because we're different. I was tired of being different.

"Ah! Newbies!" said the brown-haired girl Clarisse from behind us.

I picked up a stray thought from Annabeth's mind: You would've thought she'd learned her lesson. Apparently not.So Clarisse did something to new campers. Didn't sound pleasant at all.

Out of nowhere, Iggy yelled, "Duck!"

I ducked. One thing you learn from living with the flock, if someone says 'duck', get your head down.

Clarisse went down like a rock. Annabeth looked at Iggy, almost horrified. "W-what did you do?"

"Mild nerve gas, solidified into a small pellet." he said, like he had this all planned out.

Gazzy stared in awe. "How long will she be out? And how'd you get nerve gas?"

"I have my sources," Iggy said, winking a sightless eye. "By my estimation, about a minute or two. The gas is very weak."

Wow. That probably wouldn't work on Erasers, though. Iggy's thoughts confirmed it.

Annabeth appeared to be thinking. "I think..."

I finished her sentence. "you want us to be on your team for capture the flag, which is tonight."

She nodded, almost smiling. "Ares won't know what hit them."

**Thanks for reading! Let me tell you now, the flock members are slightly OOC for a reason. It ties into the overall plot. So if PJO characters are OOC, tell me. But the flock, I want them to be OOC. It's important to the story. I learned not to underestimate the reviewers, so I want at least 7 reviews for this chapter. Got it? And Angel, I know she thinks more like an older kid, that's because of all the older minds she's infiltrated. I'm making Angel more...er...sinister...than she's portrayed in the books. If sinister is the word. Remember, seven reviews!**


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter comes a bit ahead of schedule, at only six reviews. Don't expect it to happen again. I warn you now, this chapter ends in a cliffie. I miss cliffies, so I wanted to apply one. This chapter skips to the CTF game, and what happens afterward. I thank all reviewers for their reviews, and here is the next chapter! (Max's POV)**

"Arm yourselves!" Chiron said. With a wave of his hands, the tables before us filled with armor and weapons. "Remember, no intentional maiming!"

"We're supposed to use these?" I asked incredulously. That armor looked heavy. I wouldn't be able to fly. And fight with swords? I had no idea how.

"Unless you want to be utterly destroyed." Annabeth pointed out. Being utterly destroyed wasn't high up on my list, so...everybody was getting armor. I decided to go with a long sword, and picked up a dagger just in case. Angel, Iggy, and Gazzy were unarmed. Fang had a sword, like me, and Nudge had a spear. None of us had armor, or even a shield. I felt foolish.

"The teams are Athena, Hermes, Poseidon, Zeus, and the..." he paused, not knowing what to call us.

"Avian Americans." I supplied. A few cheers rose from the crowd.

"And the Avian Americans, against all the other cabins." At first, everybody wanted to pick us. A welcome change, to actually be wanted. But I refused to be separated from the flock. We ended up going with the smaller team.

"The whole forest is fair game! And above it as well!" Chiron said. He was actually making an effort to include us. This place just felt...right. We weren't treated as freaks, but like real people. I could live here all my life. Even the Voice had stopped nagging about saving the world.

We ran back to our base, a small knoll labeled by the campers as "Zeus' Fist". The flag had been decorated in honor of us, with an emblem of a pair of wings with a sword across them. "Okay," Annabeth began. She was always one for plans. All Athena's kids were.

"Max and Fang can fly above the forest, scouting for enemy movements we're unaware of. And if you see a scout, disable them. Am I right in saying you have raptor vision?"

I nodded. That had come in useful enough times.

"Angel and Nudge can guard the flag."

Angel nodded. Her mind powers might come in useful. And she wasn't afraid at all. Nudge was maybe a little.

"Iggy and Gazzy can lead the pincer movement on either side." At those words, many of the demigods nodded or whistled. Apparently, it was a tricky maneuver. Gazzy looked determined. Iggy looked...well..mischievous.

"We'll split the offensive movement into two parts, which will circle around their base and come from the back." It did sound tricky, considering we had no idea what the enemy would be doing.

I sprinted for a second, then rocketed into the air. I saw Fang do the same beside me. We scanned the trees.

There! There was a girl, all dressed in camouflage, over to our left. I focused a bit more. Clarisse. This would be fun.

"I'll be right back." I said to Fang. He gave me a thumbs-up, most unlike him. I swooped down on Clarisse.

I landed right in front of her in a treeless area. She pulled out a spear with a bloodred tip, faintly sparking with energy. I lunged with the sword. Or tried to, at least. Clarisse hit my hilt with her spear tip, and my arm numbed. The sword dropped.

"Ha." she said, drawing her spear point to my throat. "I told you that you were a wimp."

But what she didn't know was that I was trained to fight. All my life, I've been fighting. I knew where to hit to make it hurt. I fell backward, rolled behind Clarisse, jumped into the air, and jabbed my thumb against the base of her neck. Clarisse fell unconscious. Time to get away. I picked up the sword with my already-feeling-better arm, and snapped Clarisse's spear in half, just for good measure. And, of course, to tick her off. I took a short sprint, then spread my wings and shot into the air.

Fang greeted me. "I was watching the whole time," he said. "I think you really need some practice."

I scowled at him. Just then, a huge cheer erupted from the forest. We followed the noise, to see that we had won the game. The flag that was once decorated with a bloodstained spear now held the wing emblem. Our teammates had Angel, Gazzy, Nudge, and Iggy on their shoulders, cheering them on.

I stole a glance at Fang. He just shrugged, in a _why not_? attitude. He dove, and dug his heels into the ground after a quick midair flip. He got picked up, too.

I could do without being carried on their shoulders, so I just flew above them.

All of a sudden, the cheering stopped. There was a sudden intake of breath among the campers. There was a tall figure before them, maybe in his late teens. He had sandy blonde hair. But he was mangled. He was limping on one leg, he had blood streaming from several debilitating cuts, and one of his arms appeared to be broken. His clothes were ripped, and his face was gaunt and haggard. He looked like he had been knocked off a cliff and landed on sharp rocks, but still managed to survive.

"Luke," Thalia stepped forward, her voice shaking. "Why are you here?"

He staggered. Thalia caught him, almost crying. Angel gave a start on the shoulders of a few of our teammates, and flew up to me. "He's a traitor to the camp," she informed me. Hot rage enveloped me. There was nothing more I hated than a traitor. Actually, there were a few things, but those weren't important. Who would want to betray this camp, anyway? There was nothing to betray...was there?

He made eye contact with Thalia. "I'm sorry." he said, before collapsing.

All eyes turned to Angel. All eyes of the flock anyway. She looked pained. It wasn't every day you saw a pained six-year-old.

"He's telling the truth." she said quietly.

**A cliffie! I miss those so much...well, I'll want at least five reviews this time, before the next chapter. Remember that. It will be very important, as in explaining why Luke is here, and something even more surprising. For Max at least. Remember, the flock are SUPPOSED to be OOC. And 5 reviews. Hopefully you remember. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi, readers! The next chapter, told from Max's POV, ends not in a cliffie, but a bombshell. In a way. Enjoy this (relatively) short chapter. It has an explanation of why Luke's here, why he's sorry, and more! Read on!**

"He's telling the truth." Angel said quietly.

He was sorry for betraying the camp...to what? All the gods knew about the camp. I flew down to where Luke had collapsed, and picked him up, helped by Thalia. We needed to get him to the infirmary. He was badly injured.

I made up my mind to ask. "What did he betray the camp to?"

"Nobody told you about what came before the gods. The Titans. They were cruel, and were deposed by the gods of today. Kronos, their leader, is rising, and Luke has helped him. He wasn't betraying the camp, but all the gods."

"And why did no one tell me this?"

"Because-" she looked nervous. "Because we knew how little you knew of the gods. You might've thought Kronos was a better deal, and joined him."

I was being accused of possibly betraying the camp. These campers were pretty paranoid, weren't they?

_They do not trust you,_ the Voice pointed out. Wait-the Voice!

"Where have you been?" I said aloud, causing Thalia to look at me as if I was crazy. I shook my head as if to say I'd explain it later.

_Taking a break from the stressful duties of monitoring you,_ the Voice said. _I still want you to save the world._

Well, that shouldn't have come as a surprise. But it did. _Would you quit nagging?_

_If I asked someone else to save the world, they'd say to leave it to someone else. So do you, despite my efforts. You were built to save the world._

I ignored it, and the Voice tuned out. Thalia had a worried look on her face that I hadn't noticed before. "What if he's lying?"

I shook my head. "Angel said that he was telling the truth."

A smile lit up her face. "Really? That's great!"

I got the feeling she was holding back some enthusiasm. _There you would be right,_ the Voice chimed in.

I scowled inwardly. _So now I have a mind-reading Voice?_

_No. You see how she carries him. You can see it in her eyes. She cared for him very much._

"Well, actually I don't see..." I muttered.

"Later," I said, directed to Thalia, after she gave me a look.

We made it to the infirmary. Thalia gently put Luke on a bed, and I got a good look at his injuries. A half-healed scar across his chest. A broken arm. Dried blood everywhere. He had makeshift bandages put over the worst cuts. Thalia took a bottle from the wall and began spoon-feeding Luke.

"What is that?" I asked. It didn't look like conventional medicine.

"Ambrosia. It is a better healing agent than any of those mortal medicines. Normal mortals cannot eat it, nor drink nectar. They would go up in flames."

Well, that cleared it up. More or less.

"And," Thalia said. "Who were you talking to?"

"I have this...Voice...that seems to talk in my head. It wants me to save the world, for some obscure reason."

She didn't look like she thought I was crazy. She looked concerned. "You sound like you need a quest."

_Yes, this "quest" sounds like a good idea._ The Voice was agreeing with Thalia. Terrific.

"Mr. D. won't let us, probably." I had become newly acquainted with Mr. D. It involved flying food and grape vines. Let's just leave it at that.

I heard a groan. Luke was awake. "Why did you leave Kronos?" Thalia had asked before I'd even reacted.

He coughed. "After...Mount Tam...Kronos cast me out. I had failed him." What had happened on Mount Tam?

"But why are you sorry?" she asked him softly.

"Hermes...he saved my life. I was wandering, broken, and he gave me strength to get here. He showed me the truth."

He paused, breathing hard. "He also gave me two messages. One was addressed to me, and one was addressed to someone called 'Maximum Ride'."

"That's me." I said. He pulled a sky-blue envelope out of his pocket and handed it to me. I opened it and read it out loud:

_Maximum Ride, you are here for a reason. The Fates-_

I stopped. "Who're the Fates?"

"The three personifications of time, or something like that."

I continued: _The Fates have obtained a new prophecy, one that concerns you. The Fates have a different type of prophecy, usually not as cryptic. You are to go to the place you were made into what you are, along with five "siblings not by blood", and three of the camp. There you must confront "the usurper" and the "one who replaced him", 'him' being the servant of Kronos. The full prophecy cannot be heard unless you are immortal. The last line made clear: You will choose what you feel is right._

"Wow." I said as I finished. "Can anyone make sense of this?"

"Well, the you and five 'siblings not by blood' is obviously you and the flock. Three of the camp is three demigods."

I nodded. That part was fairly easy.

"The 'usurper' is probably Kronos."

I had to confront a Titan, who was probably as big and intimidating as his name suggested.

"And the place where you were made into what you are..."

"The School." I said with finality. We were going to have to go to the School, with my flock and three campers, and confront a god. Things just kept getting better and better.

"But the one who replaced the servant of Kronos..." Thalia said.

"It's in the letter." Luke said, startling us out of our interpretation.

"Who? Who replaced you?" I asked, feeling panicked. I felt like I should know this someone.

"His name is..." Luke glanced at the letter. "Ari."

**Ari knows about this, too. Now things get interesting. I want at least five reviews, like last time. Five reviews, and the last chapter shall begin. If there are more than five reviews, review anyway. I (almost) always reply. And the Voice, its also supposed to be OOC. Just in case you're wondering.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Now with this chapter, I might disappoint some Fax-loving people. But I did that on purpose. Enjoy the chapter that begins in Max's POV, then switches to Angel's. Sorry, this chapter is fairly short compared to the others, but it has some laughs (in my opinion) but lacks in action. Remember, I don't appreciate death threats.**

"WHAT?" I just about jumped through the ceiling in shock. Ari. I was hoping that I'd never see him again.

"Who's Ari?" Thalia asked, almost nervously. Obviously, she realized that I knew him. In a bad way.

"Ari," said a voice behind me. I turned to look. Angel. "Ari is bent on utterly destroying the flock."

"Couldn't have said it better myself." I agreed.

"But why does he stand out?" Thalia voiced exactly what I would've thought. He's not the only one. Just top of the list.

"Ari is a human-lupine hybrid. Also known as an Eraser." Angel explained.

Angel's POV:

I looked at her with wide eyes. "You're going to have to fight him?" I heard her thoughts, clear as day. She, despite her hate for Ari, didn't want to kill him. She felt sorry for him. He was not inherently evil, like most Erasers were. He actually had a conscience, seven years worth of a normal life. Of course, she was never going to admit weakness to the flock. She was afraid that she'd have to kill him.

There was one more thing. She was contemplating what Jeb had told her, so long ago when we thought Ari was dead.

_"You killed your own brother!"_

Of course, I had taken a glance at his mind. To my surprise, he was dead serious. I didn't think Max was ready for it, so I kept it to myself. She probably would have exploded with surprise or something. Too bad I didn't know who her mom was.

"Yes," she said almost angrily. "We have to confront him. And finish him off." I was surprised by the cruelty in her voice. It was almost as if she knew I was in her head.

"Okay, I don't know who this Ari guy is, but we'll help you fight him." Thalia temporarily broke the tension. She seemed to pull a silvery bow from nowhere. "I miss the hunt. And this is almost a hunt! A half-wolf!"

"Cool bow." I grinned, trying to make conversation.

"Yep." She glanced at it briefly. "It's a Hunter's bow."

I tried to appear complacent. But Max asked, "Hunter? You say it like its a title."

"It is. I'm a Hunter of Artemis."

Now I knew exactly what a Hunter was, courtesy of convenient mind reading techniques. But the others didn't. "Hunters are girls-" Thalia began to explain.

"Girls?" Fang interrupted. He had popped up, too. "Sexist much?"

Thalia ignored him, and continued. "girls that have sworn both loyalty to Artemis and chosen to forswear romantic love. To be a maiden eternally."

"What do you get?" I asked for the benefit of the others.

"Immortality, for one."

Max looked skeptical. "She's serious." I told her. Now she looked, like, _whoa._

"And increased physical prowess."

_Wow. It sounds awesome._ I picked up from her head. _Are you sure? _The Voice said. I was able to pick that up, too.

_Why not? _She snapped back at the Voice. She may have been acting mild because of the camp, but inside her head was a different story.

_Well, you might have to leave behind Fang..._The Voice commented sarcastically.

_What the hell is that supposed to mean? _Max mentally glared at the Voice. _Are you suggesting...?_

_Yes, I'm suggesting. _Short and direct. The Voice seemed to be out of character. As well as Max, at least on the outside.

Max's mental self started mentally yelling. Or at least that's what she thought.

"Screw you, Voice! I do NOT like him!" Once she realized she'd said it aloud, she blushed a deep shade of red. Fang, as usual, looked impassive.

_Prove it. _The Voice really seemed to be different. Strange.

_Fine! _She mentally threw her arms up into the air. _Fine!_

Next thing I knew, she walked up to Thalia and demanded, "How can I join the Hunt?"

"Well, first you need to find Artemis. Then you pledge to her." Thalia said, not quailing under Max's furious stare.

"Well, one of those things have been taken care of," Artemis said. She had materialized right in front of us. People just seem to pop out of nowhere these days. It was getting tiresome.

"What's the pledge?" Max asked eagerly.

"Repeat after me," she said. "I pledge myself to Artemis, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt."

She did. Without hesitation. I could've sworn I saw a flicker of sadness on Fang's face, but before I could look, it was gone. I knew what it meant, anyway.

_What do you think of that, Voice?_ Max mentally smirked.

**Max has joined the Hunters! I know, you Fax (Fang/Max) people hate me now. Don't lynch me or anything. Or hunt me down. I want seven reviews this time. Not being lenient anymore, and I just adore reviews. Please, please, please review! And sorry if I didn't get the Hunter pledge right, I don't have a copy of Titan's Curse and I'm just reciting it from memory. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Finally, seven reviews! For the reviewer who calls him/herself Bookworm, I appreciate your critique. Sorry, I just like to write in flock's POV. It is likely you'll get some demigod POV's later, during the quest. Very likely. And for everybody else, thanks for the reviews, and enjoy the next chapter! This one made me laugh SO hard. Let me remind you readers (especially Fax lovers) of one thing: Max may have joined the Hunters, but that doesn't change how she feels...**

_Your pride causes foolishness._ The Voice was trying to make a comeback. _You're too impulsive._

Imparting the usual cryptic advice, that's my Voice. _Would it hurt to be more specific?_

Silent again. It never answered when I needed it too. Especially if I mentioned how confusing it was. Now that I thought about it, my wings felt lighter. My whole body felt lighter, and I felt quicker and stronger. I pulled my wings out and gave them a few experimental flaps. Perfect.

Everybody was staring at me.

"What?" I asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"Max...your wings..." Gazzy said uncertainly.

I put a finger to my wings. They felt all right. But when I brought one to my face to look...

"Wow." That was all I could manage. My wings looked like they had been coated in moonlight. A good thing, as far as I was concerned.

"They look beautiful." Fang supplied. I almost blushed, but the blood rushing to my face seemed to stop at my neck. Must've been a Huntress thing. Artemis cast Fang a dirty look, and began to glow. We all averted our eyes.

Artemis was gone. A silvery bow, not unlike Thalia's, was left in her wake, along with a quiver of metallic arrows. I picked them up. "So, now what?" I asked.

"We tell Mr. D and Chiron about the quest." Thalia suggested.

"Sounds good." I nodded. "Now we find them. But first I want to try the bow." I sprinted out of the infirmary at top speed, and rocketed into the air. Flying never felt this great. I was drawing a lot of pointed fingers.

The bow was in my hands as soon as I formed the intention in my head of shooting it. Pulling an arrow from the quiver, I set it to the string. My finger slipped, and the arrow fell...oh...maybe five hundred feet. I'd get it later.

When I put my hand back to the quiver, I found that the arrow had been replenished. Unlimited arrows. Cool.

"WHAT IN HADES WAS THAT FOR, HUH?" someone spluttered below me. I dived down toward the noise.

The first thing I saw was Mr. D, his face contorted with rage. He had an arrow firmly lodged in his forehead. A bit or ichor was dripping around it.

"WELL?"

"It was an accident." I said smoothly. I never had a way with authority figures, anyway.

His eyes were glowing a purplish color. Now I knew, he was _really_ pissed off. His mouth opened, as if to utter a word that'd probably blast me apart.

"Mr. D, you can't go around blowing campers to pieces." Chiron had come to my rescue.

"Why not?" he whined. "She's not a camper!"

"You can't blow anyone else to pieces, either." Chiron reprimanded him. "Your father would probably ground you for another century or so."

Mr. D walked away, grumbling to himself. Chiron turned to me. "Is there anything you need me for?"

"Actually, yes. Read this." I handed him the letter.

He read through it, frowning. "You need a quest."

I resisted the urge to say, "duh".

"Sounds good. You can leave with the group when you're ready. Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia are going with you." Chiron said.

Whenever we're ready. We didn't always get that luxury. I just nodded, and took off. It was very much made easier because of the new wings. It was more than an aesthetic change.

The rest of the flock were flying around the pond, checking it out. The campers canoeing, including Percy, were waving at them. Gazzy was cannonballing into the pool from tremendous heights.

"Guys!" I yelled, startling them. "Chiron gave us approval. We're leaving."

"Who're the lucky campers?" Fang asked. I had forgotten about that part.

"Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia."

I'll spare you the boring details, but we rounded up the trio and left. We got a big see-off from the other campers, as well. Then there was the issue of transportation. We were just outside the camp, and then I realized. "How are you going to keep up with us?"

Annabeth frowned. "We can't fly, that's for sure." She had told me about Zeus' grudge against Percy.

"I plan to get to the School as fast as I can, despite three laggards." I said offhandedly. "The flock and I are flying. No question about that."

I didn't get the unanimous reaction I had been hoping for. "But then we'll leave them behind!" Nudge protested.

"They can take a plane."

A flash of understanding lit up Annabeth's eyes. "Of course! Zeus won't kill his own daughter!"

That wasn't exactly why I had suggested that, but it worked. In this case, no one was going to get struck out of the sky. How convenient. They would go their way, and we would go ours. We'd meet at...oh yeah. They had no idea where the School was. On the map, I believe it was in the middle of "freaking nowhere".

"No. We need to stick together. You don't know where the School is." As much as I didn't like slowing down for anyone, it had to be done. Stupid prophecies.

A voice behind me gave an ominous laugh. I was tired of this "voice behind me" business. I turned around.

There was a man behind us. He looked like a Frankenstein remake, his body appeared to be patched together. He had long gray hair, and his eyes...they radiated power. Not just power. Evil power.

"Impossible..." Annabeth whispered.

He laughed again - _the same laugh as in my dream._

"Kronos?" I asked shakily. This was volatile territory.

"Not quite." The man said without smiling. "I am Kronos II."

**This chapter isn't all that great, I know. I wasn't really in the mood for writing today, but I did it anyway. I didn't want to disappoint my readers. Maybe tomorrow will be better. Seven reviews, remember!** **And Percy's POV will probably come next chapter. Not making any guarantees, but probably.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry for not updating so long! I got a bit carried away with a newly acquired Wii game, and forgot to write. This chapter is being told in the long-awaited Percy's POV. But the end part is in Max's POV. Just so you know, in case it isn't obvious. And this chapter is kind of short. **

I stared blankly at Kronos. Sorry, Kronos II. Where'd he get the II anyway?

"I am the servant of Kronos. And a god. But the thing is," he pulled out a wicked looking bloodstained sickle. "I can attack mortals directly. Unlike my subject."

"Your subject?" I was hoping he was bluffing with the "attacking mortals directly" thing.

His laughter rang through the air. "You fool! You mean you do not know?"

I didn't really appreciate being called a fool, but I thought I'd keep my mouth shut. Especially considering he was a god.

Max was deathly pale. "He was cloned from Kronos."

"Exactly." he said. He raised his hand and made a crushing gesture. The flock flew into the air, and went limp. He lowered them to the ground. "I'm here for the freaks. Stop me if you like."

I had already closed half the distance between us, and Riptide was uncapped and in my hand. I drove all my weight through a stab attack. Kronos II flashed into nothingness, his laughter echoing through the dense forest.

The sickle rematerialized right above my shoulder, behind me. I knocked it away, and Kronos II disengaged and disappeared again.

He appeared in front of me. "He's manipulating time!" Annabeth yelled. That explained the disappearing/reappearing thing. But it was kind of discouraging.

I tripped on a root, and fell practically right on top of him. I decided to use this to my advantage, swinging Riptide. But he time-stopped...with my hand on his chest. I felt like I wanted to hurl, the world was spinning. It settled in a bluish-tinged version of the forest. The only sounds I could hear were Kronos II breathing and my own heart beating. Everything else was silent and unmoving.

He was breathing hard. It must have tired him out to inadvertently take me with him through the time barrier. I slashed Riptide at his face. He snarled and ducked, then came at me with the sickle. I knocked his hand aside and flipped Riptide, catching him in the chest with the hilt. Now he was almost wheezing. I swung again. He moved out of the way, but not quickly enough. I clipped his shoulder. Blood, red as ripe cherries, flowed from his wound. We both stared at it in shock.

_Red blood? _

"Im-impossible," he said, faltering. "I...I am a god! They tricked me!" The blue-tinged environment faded, and sound filled the forest. I had almost forgotten how much there was. He had released the time-stop. Thalia and Annabeth were nowhere in sight.

"Aargh!" he roared, and barreled toward us, swinging the sickle angrily. He seemed to know exactly where to hit, where it was most difficult to block from. And he was moving quickly...too quickly. I couldn't keep this up forever. A particularly vicious lunge ripped my shirt, and drew a thin line of blood down it. I hardly felt the pain.

Riptide was on the ground. The sickle was at my throat. He had stopped time again.

"I may not be a god," he said viciously. "But I can still kill you."

Max's POV:

A clone of Kronos, huh? What happened to biomedical ethics? There was something about his voice, it felt like I'd heard it before. Not in a dream, just in something I couldn't grasp.

He threw his hand into the air, and pain shot through my entire being. I wanted to scream, but my voice was dead. The last thing I thought before my consciousness shut down is that I was going to be _really _pissed off if he had hurt the flock.

My vision went black, and surprisingly flared into color. But this wasn't the forest we were in. It was the room with the golden coffin, the one on the cruise ship. A kneeling figure was before the coffin. I looked closer (I know it sounds weird). It was Ari.

A rumbling voice erupted from the coffin. "Those fools! Destroy them."

"Yes, Lord Kronos." Ari replied, not sounding like himself. "I will."

"Good." Kronos gave a booming laugh, and the whole ship shook. Ari stepped through a shimmer in the air, and was gone.

The dream switched to a room full of whitecoats, including Jeb. The air seemed to twist and bend, and Ari came into the scene.

"Why are you here?" Jeb asked.

"The clone you made. You said it was immortal."

"There are some things genetics just can't replicate," Jeb said simply. "Immortality, namely."

"Too bad." A sword with an intricate hilt, glowing white, appeared in his hand. It had to be at least four feet long, but Ari hefted it with ease.

"I know you, Ari. You will not kill me."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Ari snarled. In one fluid movement, he had Jeb by the throat and in the air. With one hand.

"Ari." He choked. "Don't."

Ari wordlessly plunged the sword right through Jeb's heart.

**Double cliffie! Don't forget to review! Ari is OOC because serving Kronos is changing him, Kronos is making him think he's being respected. So Ari feels he doesn't need Jeb anymore. Seven reviews for the next chapter. Don't forget. And I apologize a million times more for not updating. It was all my fault.**


	8. Chapter 8

**This chapter is relatively short. I'm sorry about that, but I couldn't keep you waiting. Especially what I did with the last chapter. This one starts out in Max's POV, then switches to Percy's. And if you look carefully, you can figure out who the Voice is. Not that I'm going to tell you directly, yet. Enjoy this chapter, which I think isn't really up to par. I felt kind of rushed when I wrote it.**

The sub-reality flashed out of my mind, and I found myself where I was before. Lying on the ground in a forest. I tried to move an arm. Nothing. I tried a leg. Still nothing. I was paralyzed. How convenient.

My eyes were open, I could hear, but I couldn't move. Loud _clang_s echoed through the forest. Percy and that jerk Kronos II were fighting. I couldn't do anything. It sucked.

_Did that actually happen?_ I asked myself. The dream had felt so...real. And if it was real...then Jeb was dead.

A response came, surprising me. _Yes._ I had almost forgotten the Voice. It sounded sober.

_All of it? Ari killing Jeb?_

The Voice was silent. Figures, it never answered when I needed it to. Like now, for instance. But then something occurred to me.

_How do you know?_

Still silent. It was almost as if it didn't want to tell me.

The sounds of battle suddenly ceased. An angry voice ripped through the fray. "I may not be a god," it said viciously. "But I can still kill you."

And then I realized something. Something I should've seen before. Something I was an absolute _idiot_ not to notice. But I couldn't worry about it now. Percy needed help.

I struggled, and my arm moved. Faintly, but it moved. The bow materialized in my hands as I formed the intention of shooting. I silently drew back a silver arrow, and shot as accurately as I could.

I missed.

Percy's POV:

A silver Hunter arrow flew right over Kronos II's shoulder. Right over. Couldn't Max have aimed a little better? Kronos II spun around, snarling. I seized the oppurtunity and swung Riptide. He heard the swish, and turned back toward me.

Too late. His hand was on the ground, smoldering. I have no idea why. Too bad it was his left hand. He fought with his right.

He stared at the stump in disbelief, holding his sickle in a defensive position. His eyebrows creased and he roared something incomprehensible to the sky. I watched in horror as his hand...the bones in his hand...they were growing back. Just the bones. Shoot.

He was laughing now, laughing hysterically. "Go on, then! Kill me, boy!"

I thought, _What the heck? Why not? _I drove Riptide through his heart. A wave of fire consumed him. I stepped back, thinking he was finished. The fire lessened, and I saw how wrong I was.

A full skeleton, glowing with flames, was there. It looked more menacing than the ones that Atlas had set on us. And deadlier, of course. It dropped the sickle and screeched, like fingernails on a chalkboard. I clapped my hands over my ears.

Max and Fang were struggling at consciousness, and the rest of the flock were still asleep. Max shot an arrow. Right through the head. Kronos II didn't even blink. Wait, he didn't have eyes anymore. He didn't even twitch.

I leapt forward and cut him in half, marveling at how easy it was. He didn't even try to stop me. Flaming bones clattered to the floor. Then they started repairing themselves, just as I had feared. I had an now-immortal crazy flaming skeleton after me, and Thalia and Annabeth appeared to have ditched me. What a fine way to die.

I raised a wave, trying to put out the fire. The water appeared to sate the fire, but then it came back, glowing bright acid green. So that wouldn't work, either.

"Over here!" yelled a voice. Annabeth's. I could never forget it, anywhere.

Something whistled through the air. Something struck Kronos II right where the heart would be. He wailed, and began to disintegrate. I looked closer. It was a Hunter's knife.

There was only one person, let alone a Hunter, that I knew could do that to immortal skeletons. I turned.

Bianca di Angelo.

**Cliffie! You know how I love those. As usual, I'll want seven reviews. And it will be enforced. The skeleton thing, its a mistake in the genetic code. You're not supposed to experiment with immortals. **


	9. Chapter 9

**I haven't read TC in a while, so excuse me if Bianca is OOC. And I apologize for such a long wait, many factors contributed to it. My laziness, the holidays, and a brief spell of writer's block. And there were more. But the point is, your long-awaited chapter is here. Enjoy it. There isn't a lot of the flock in this chapter, by the way. But they're there. And I have to thank all my faithful reviewers. Again, a billion apologies for like a month's (?) wait. Thanks coocoo4coco.puffs for that idea... winks**

Bianca stood before me all right, but something was different. She was shimmering. And to a greater extent than any of the Hunters. Thalia and Annabeth were behind her, looking grim. And my mouth was probably wide open.

I cast a beseeching look at Annabeth. She shook her head. What was going on?

"Bianca," I said. "You're alive?"

She smiled, showing ghostly white teeth. "He let me come back...for one deed. Now it is done."

"Who's-" I began, but then I realized. _Hades brought her back!_

I guess Hades did care for other people. Didn't see that coming.

Then the worst part hit me, like the unseen dodgeball in a gym. _She had to go back. To Hades._

Annabeth caught the look of dawning comprehension on my face. She bowed her head sadly.

"Wait." I said desperately. "Can't we negotiate?"

The sinking feeling in my gut had already told me the answer. No way was Hades, lord of the Underworld going to negotiate with one of his least favorite half-bloods. No way.

She shook her head, and began to glow. We all instinctively averted our eyes. I turned around, seeing the the flock beginning to stir. Max was up, but struggling.

As a last hope, I yelled, "What about Nico?"

The glow surrounding Bianca seemed to shiver. She hesitated. "Tell him...death is eternal."

And she was gone.

The first thing I thought to ask, "What did she mean, death is eternal?"

Annabeth looked puzzled - something I didn't see a lot. Thalia was the same.

We lapsed into wordless silence. The flock up and walking, but they said nothing, seemingly corresponding with the mournful air. I kicked a rock bitterly. Hades had given her back to us, then torn her away. A more cruel thing he couldn't have done.

I began to stride away from the rest of the group. They didn't even seem to acknowledge. I kept going through the thick trees and hard-packed ground. A wave of hopelessness came across me. We had to confront Kronos. A Titan, an immortal. And an immortal had just shown me how powerful he really was. What hope did nine mortals, even three demigods and six avian hybrids stand against one?

A familiar voice in my head interrupted my thoughts. _Hey, boss! What's up?_

I had heard that voice before...

Blackjack. He was here.

_Would you stop calling me boss?_ I mentally transmitted to him, annoyed. I turned to see him right . . . in front of me. He was between two other black pegasi, something I had not expected to see. But then again, I never expected to see Blackjack, anyway. But I thought he was the only black pegasi.

_Sure, boss._ His voice in my head said easily. _I think you need flyaway horses? _

I was about to ask him why I would when I realized: the transportation problem. We could keep up with the flock, maybe even outrun them. But it seemed a strange coincidence, that they'd be right here.

_Who sent you? _I asked before I thought. I was starting to sound a bit like Annabeth. Not a good thing . . . well, maybe it was. Thinking things through.

_We are the couriers of the lord Hades, _the pegasi on the left said, referring to him and the other black one. _He sent us._

My mind instantly flew to malevolent plans and traps. Why would Hades provide us with a means of transportation?

_He also said to tell you this, _Hades' other pegasi said. _Kronos will rise again. You are the only ones to stop him._

His words filled me with new determination. Even Hades was relying on us, although it seemed out of character for him to do so. Everyone was relying on us to bring Kronos down. A measure of boldness came next, washing away the hopelessness. We would defeat him. Despite how daunting it might seem. The gods, apparently, took this quest seriously.

I ran to get the others.

**Thanks to coocoo4coco.puffs for the idea of using pegasi as transportation. I couldn't have done it without him/her, or any of my reviewers. I need you all. That said, I hope I can accumulate seven reviews. Or no next chapter. I know I've disappointed many with Bianca having to go, but you know Hades. He's inexorable when it comes to the dead. But he realizes, in order to save his own skin, Kronos must fall. And those nine are just the ones to do it. Prophecies don't lie. Hence the pegasi. And I was wondering, I can't think of names, can anyone think of names for the other pegasi? I'll pick my favorite two. **


	10. Chapter 10

**I cannot believe my stupidity! I can't believe my negligence! I see this in every story I read, and I forgot it! **

**I hereby disclaim any ownage of either the Maximum Ride characters or the PJO characters. Those belong to James Patterson, and Rick Riordan respectively. I'm just an author hopeful who can't make up his own characters. And this goes for all my previous chapters in this story, as well as all the others I forgot to disclaim on. I apologize. Or, to simplify, I own nothing you recognize.**

**Thank you for all reviews. And thanks for all those who submitted names. I can't think of any myself. I chose Mauro and Onyx, from coocoo4coco.puffs and randompanda940. Hopefully I spelled those right. And, one more thing, I know pegasi fly very fast, faster than the flock, but for this story, they fly at the same speed. OK? Enough said, enjoy the next chapter!**

**Max's POV:**

Percy left our morbid scene. I jolted back to my senses.

"Report!" I said reflexively. I got five responses, varying from cool and unruffled to somewhat tired. Everyone was here, good.

Gloominess pervaded the air. The mystery girl, who I gleaned was called Bianca, was gone. And she wouldn't be coming back.

Percy came sprinting back through the trees. "Guys," he said breathlessly. "Pegasi."

Now if I knew what the heck pegasi were, maybe I'd be happier. But Annabeth's eyes lit up, and she looked like she wanted to kiss him. Which she didn't, of course.

"What do pegasi have to do with anything?" Thalia inquired.

"We can keep up with the flock!" Annabeth said, as if it were obvious. What could keep up with us, anyway?

Thalia looked obviously reluctant. "We are _not _taking pegasi."

"What are pegasi?" I made up my mind to ask. I hated being left in the dark.

"You'll see," Percy answered, and we all followed him through the trees. I did so impatiently.

I heard laughter behind me. Gazzy and Iggy seemed to be sharing a joke. There was also a faint prickling on my neck.

I spun around angrily. Fang was almost smiling. I had to try hard not to smile back.

We walked for a while more. "I'm hungry," Nudge complained.

"Maybe later," I replied. "Maybe we can take these pegasi to a restaurant."

Percy chuckled. "I wouldn't recommend that." As he finished, we came upon a clearing.

What I saw made me say in disbelief, "You are freaking _kidding._".

Three black horses. But that wasn't the outright _weird_ part. They had huge wings. And I thought we were the only successful "mutants".

"Tell me what you see." Iggy said, almost bitterly. I felt so incredibly sorry for him. He couldn't see anything, and he probably never would.

"Three black winged horses." I said without turning around. I know, lack of detail, but I was still stunned. More mutants.

"They're not recombinants," Annabeth said, as if reading my mind. "They're just like that." She looked questioningly at Percy. "Why the black ones?"

I just stared in silent astonishment. Pegasi. Winged horses.

The flock was with me, more or less. Completely blown away. Fang hid his surprise under his usual mask of impassiveness.

"These are-" Percy paused. "Mauro and Onyx. And Blackjack." He indicated each one in turn. "They will take us to the School."

Annabeth climbed on Mauro, and Percy on Blackjack. Thalia appeared to be having misgivings. She got on Onyx, but he bucked her off. She swore angrily in Ancient Greek.

**Percy's POV:**

I laughed when Onyx gave Thalia the boot. Then I got a death-glare in return. A quite potent, evil death-glare.

Apparently she thought I told him to. I did. But I wasn't going to tell her that. I put on an innocent face.

_All right, you three. We need to go to California. For specifics, we'll follow the other six._ I told the pegasi. They accepted my instructions with cool accordance. Thalia got on Onyx, grumbling.

The flock whipped out their wings. Now it was the pegasi who were amazed.

_What is this, my lord? The ill-fated mating of one of us and a human?_ I grimaced. Not even close.

_Just follow them! _I ordered exasperatedly.

_As you wish, my lord. _Mauro replied. I was too annoyed to object to the "my lord" title. His wings cut at the air and dust flew as he lifted off. Blackjack and Onyx did likewise. Thalia was slightly pale. Annabeth's blonde hair blew around her face in the wind like a halo, making her look just gorgeous.

_What in Hades are you thinking? She's your **friend**! _I screamed at myself. I drove my thoughts from Annabeth with difficulty.

Aphrodite's face swam from my pool of memories_. It's no good, you know_, she whispered in my head_. It is - what's the word? - inevitable. Yes, inevitable_. She laughed, a high-pitched giggling.

I growled in frustration. Annabeth turned to me, confused. "Nothing." I affirmed. She eyed me for a few more moments, then turned away.

Was Aphrodite right? _No, she can't be right._

_But what if she was?_

**Haha, I couldn't help it. I had to write some Percabeth. If I make any plot mistakes, let me know. An ominous feeling of missing something accompanied me writing this. Apologies for such a late chapter, as well. Don't forget to review! Seven reviews, then I'll start the next chapter. Understood?**


	11. Chapter 11

**This part of the chapter was a bit of fun, I was bored. Guess who's POV it is. Virtual cookies to all who guess correctly! Maybe it is a bit obvious...**

There's nothing that matches the joy of flying. But there are people that could do without it. Thalia, I noted with interest, was ashen-faced and clutched her pegasus as if her life depended on it. Well, it probably did, but it wasn't as if Onyx would let her fall.

Pretty strange, don't you think, that a daughter of Zeus would be afraid of heights? I thought so too.

"I'm hungry," the Gasman groaned. I almost laughed at the look of frustration on Max's face. But I never laugh.

"Yeah, me too." Nudge replied conversationally. "Couldn't we, like, go to that restaurant that we did last time in New York? You know, the one that they sent the police after us? We could give them a good shock - "

"No." Max countered sternly. And that was the end of that.

I was hungry, too. But no way was I going to admit it. Especially not to Max.

**Now, the primary part of this chapter. Credit for the idea goes to I'm Strange and I like it. Grover is embarking on his quest for Pan. Excuse me if he's OOC, I haven't read one of the PJO books in a while. And here it begins:**

Grover sat at a table in a local coffee shop. He drained his cup. "A-another pl-please," he requested, caffeine beginning to impede his speech. The serving lady eyed him disapprovingly, but brought another cup. Grover handed her a few coins.

Just then, a curious foursome entered the shop. They were all men, tall and broad. They chose a table, but ordered nothing. One glanced at Grover.

He fingered the rim of his black sunglasses, triggering the hidden infrared camera optics. What he saw surprised him greatly.

The boy was some sort of recombinant. From the waist and below he appeared to be a donkey or goat, fur and all. And he had horns. Apparently a renegade mutant.

"Unauthorized recombinant," he whispered to his team. They took the information in stride, no astonishment showing on their faces. Another of the men, who appeared to be the leader, walked up to Grover.

"Haven't you had enough coffee?" he said in angelic voice.

"M-maybe," he said inarticulately. "I better go."

"That would be wise," he intoned with that enticing voice. He subtly nodded to his team.

Grover left the store, almost tripping on the way. The four men followed him with light footsteps.

**Unless you haven't read MR, you should be ashamed if you don't know who the four men are. No offense, but it's so _obvious_. Sorry for the somewhat short chapter. And by the way, if you think the Erasers are a bit OOC, then that's because this is a different branch of Erasers, trained and slightly tapered for stealth and recon. The School wanted to be more subtle. Seven reviews I want, and don't forget to put a guess for the first part of the chapter! **


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